Recently, select students of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute were given distinguished honors for their outstanding leadership in the community.

First, new student members were selected into the Phalanx Honor Society. The Phalanx Honor Society was established in 1912 “to recognize Rensselaer students who have distinguished themselves among their peers in the areas of leadership, service, and devotion to the alma mater.”

In addition, winners of the White Key Award were announced. The White Key Society was founded in 1939 to recognize early leadership and service in Rensselaer activities among freshman and sophomore classes.

President Martin A. Schmidt ’81 took special note of the extra challenges these students faced during the pandemic. “Many of (these students) were already active on campus as it shut down in the spring of 2020, most of them made sacrifices to continue working with their respective organizations while prioritizing the health and safety of their peers, and all of them were here as we adjusted to the current protocols,” he said in his remarks. “Beyond the unprecedented challenges they all faced, they went above and beyond, helping us to reemerge... I, and the Institute, appreciate their willingness to take the lead on so many of these initiatives.”

In addition to honoring students, select staff and faculty were given honorary awards for their exceptional support of students.

The new Phalanx Honor Society inductees are:

Navya Ajay ’24

Sabrina Alvarez ’24

Delana Bonci ’23

Jeda Coward ’24

Matthew Fox ’23

Ava Gallagher ’23, ’24G

Julia Gizzo ’24

Alexis Hernandez ’24

Lauren King ’23

Samantha Martin ’23

Ria Massoni ’24

Emily McNee ’24

Nampoina Randrianarivelo ’23

Jody Sunray ’23

Alexis Tendilla ’23

Anya Tralshawala ’23

Sai Vaishnav Chadalavada ’23, ’24G

Benjamin Viner ’24

White Key Award recipients were:

Hannah Burr ’25

Danielle Harris ’25

Scott Nwosu ’25

Cullen Sheridan ’25

Victoria Webb ’26

Isabella Valenti ‘26

Honorary Phalanx inductees were:

Louis Trzepacz, Dean, Student Success

Steven Tysoe, Lecturer, Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Arianna Livshits, Senior Event Planner, Admissions

Raquel Velho, Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Program Director, Science and Technology Studies